The proliferation of microwave ovens has stimulated the development of many food products to be used in these ovens. A very popular, fast-growing category of such products is microwavable popcorn. There are currently numerous microwavable popcorn products on the market, many of which contain a flavored coating and are specially packaged to be heated in the microwave. The coating blends of these popcorn products consist generally of oils blended with a flavoring and/or spices.
To date, however, there has been no acceptable commercial production of a microwave popcorn product containing a sugar based glaze or coating. While popcorn products containing a sugar based glaze (commonly referred to as carmel corn and sold under current trademarks "Fiddle Faddle", "Crunch and Munch" and "Screaming Yellow Zonkers") are presently commercially available, they are not microwavable products. Instead, they are popcorn products prepared by topically applying a sugar based glaze or syrup to popped popcorn. This process involves popping the corn and subsequently pouring the separately prepared glaze or syrup over the popcorn while mixing or tumbling the corn. Carmel corn prepared in this way is then packaged and sold to the consumer in its finished state.
A flavored popcorn product is also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,133; however, this is not a microwave product, but instead contemplates popping the corn in a pan using conventional heating methods.
The principal reason for the absence of an acceptable microwavable popcorn product containing a sugar based glaze or coating, despite the existence of microwavable popcorn products containing various other flavored coatings, is related to the technical problem of popping popcorn in the microwave while simultaneously heating a sugar based glazing mixture. This problem arises because of the fact that the temperatures at which sugars tend to darken or begin to carmelize are extremely close to the temperatures at which popcorn pops. Carmelization is a complex high temperature reaction in which simple sugars are caused to polymerize and darken. When one attempts to make a sugar glazed popcorn product by conventional formulation means the results are invariably that the glaze becomes carmelized by the time the popcorn has popped. This leads to a product which is severely darkened and has a burnt flavor and odor. Such a product is not acceptable to the consumer.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a microwavable popcorn product, and method of preparing the same, in which the popcorn is coated with a sugar based glaze.